possibly in part due to historical -- and in some cases still living -- memories of deprivation. That I suspect is also where the "Eat, eat!" social impulse comes from: eat while you've got the chance; today, at least, there's plenty of food, but who knows about tomorrow?

-- Many of the traditional foods are things that used to be cheap; though often, the world having shifted, they aren't any longer (lox, especially, comes to mind here.)